Effects of Climate Change on Trait-Based Dynamics of a Top Predator in Freshwater Ecosystems

Vindenes, Yngvild; Édeline, Éric; Ohlberger, Jan; Langangen, Øystein; Winfield, Ian J.; Stenseth, Nils Chr.; Vøllestad, Leif Asbjørn

doi:10.1086/674610

Cited by 53 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…This thermal facilitation presumably operates because higher temperatures (i) increase consumer foraging rates (Vasseur and McCann 2005;Ohlberger et al 2011a) and food conversion efficiency (Angilletta and Dunham 2003), (ii) increase a competitive asymmetry in favor of small (young) against large (old) fish for the exploitation of resources (Ohlberger et al 2011a;Edeline et al 2013); (iii) accelerate fish growth rate and reduce the duration of a small-size-and-high-mortality time span (Vindenes et al 2014), and (iv) increase fat storage during summer and thus enhance winter survival (Griffiths and Kirkwood 1995;van de Wolfshaar et al 2008). …”

Section: -3-year Oscillations: Windermere Bottom-up Forcingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathogens trigger top-down climate forcing on ecosystem dynamics

et al. 2016

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; Vollestad, L. Asbjorn; Stenseth, Nils C.; Ghil, Michael. 2016. Pathogens trigger top-down climate forcing on ecosystem dynamics. Oecologia, 181 (2). 519-532. 10.1007/s00442-016-3575-8 Contact CEH NORA team at noraceh@ceh.ac.ukThe NERC and CEH trademarks and logos ('the Trademarks') are registered trademarks of NERC in the UK and other countries, and may not be used without the prior written consent of the Trademark owner. Pathogens trigger top-down climate forcing on ecosystem dynamics AbstractEvaluating the effects of climate variation on ecosystems is of paramount importance for our ability to forecast and mitigate the consequences of global change. However, the ways in which complex food webs respond to climate variations remain poorly understood. Here, we use long-term time series to investigate the effects of temperature variation on the intraguild-predation (IGP) system of Windermere (UK), a lake where pike (Esox lucius, top predator) feed on small-sized perch (Perca fluviatilis) but compete with large-sized perch for the same food sources. Spectral analyses of time series reveal that pike recruitment dynamics are temperature-controlled. In 1976, expansion of a perch pathogen into the lake severely impacted large perch and favoured pike as the IGP-dominant species. This pathogeninduced regime shift to a pike-dominated IGP apparently triggered a temperature-controlled trophic cascade passing through pike down to dissolved nutrients. In simple food chains, warming is predicted to strengthen top-down control by accelerating metabolic rates in ectothermic consumers, while pathogens of top consumers are predicted to dampen this top-down control. In contrast, the local IGP structure in Windermere made warming and pathogens synergistic in their top-down effects on ecosystem functioning. More generally, our results point to top predators as major mediators of community response to global change, and show that size-selective agents (e.g., pathogens, fishers or hunters) may change the topological architecture of food-webs and alter whole-ecosystem sensitivity to climate variation.

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Section: -3-year Oscillations: Windermere Bottom-up Forcingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathogens trigger top-down climate forcing on ecosystem dynamics

et al. 2016

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“…The sensitivity and elasticity of λ to the three underlying state variables x , y and T were decomposed into contributions from each of the vital rate functions across current length x , using the same approach as that of Vindenes et al . (), and the detailed expressions are shown in Appendix S3. Here, elasticity results are shown, while the corresponding sensitivities are shown in Appendix S3‐3.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…; Rypel ) and is also associated with other vital rates (Vindenes et al . ). Some studies have reported a positive effect of female body size on egg size (Billard ; Kotakorpi et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Fitness consequences of early life conditions and maternal size effects in a freshwater top predator

Vindenes

Langangen

Winfield

et al. 2016

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Summary1. Conditions experienced in early life stages can be an important determinant of individual life histories. In fish, environmental conditions are known to affect early survival and growth, but recent studies have also emphasized maternal effects mediated by size or age. However, the relative sensitivity of * yngvild.vindenes@ibv.uio.no 1 the mean fitness (population growth rate λ) to different early life impacts remain largely unexplored.2. Using a female-based integral projection model (IPM) parameterised from unique long-term demographic data for pike (Esox lucius), we evaluated the relative fitness consequences of different early life impacts, including i) maternal effects of length on egg weight, potentially affecting offspring (first year) survival, and ii) effects of temperature on offspring growth and survival. Of the seven vital rates defining the model, offspring survival could not be directly estimated and four scenarios were defined for this rate.3. Elasticity analyses of the IPM were performed to calculate i) the total contribution from different lengths to the elasticity of λ to the projection kernel, and ii) the elasticity of λ to underlying variables of female current length, female offspring length at age 1, and temperature. These elasticities were decomposed into contributions from different vital rates across length.4. Egg weight increased with female length, as expected, but the effect leveled off for the largest females. However, λ was largely insensitive to this effect, even when egg weight was assumed to have a strong effect on offspring survival. In contrast, λ was sensitive to early temperature conditions through growth and survival. Among mature females, the total elasticity of λ to the projection kernel generally increased with length. The results were robust to a wide range of assumptions.5. These results suggest that environmental conditions experienced in early life represent a more important driver of mean population growth and fitness of 2 pike than maternal effects of size on offspring survival. We discuss two general mechanisms underlying the weak influence of this maternal effect, suggesting that these may be general for long-lived and highly fecund fishes. This model and results are relevant for management of long-lived top-predators, including many commercially important fish species. KeywordsCohort effects, demographic heterogeneity, delayed life history effects, environmental impacts, individual heterogeneity, silver spoon effects, trait structure.

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“…Similar declines in Arctic Charr have occurred in other U.K. lakes and are thought to have resulted in part from climate change . Warming also has changed Windermere's Northern Pike population by shifting the length structure of this top predator toward an increased proportion of medium-sized individuals (Vindenes et al 2014). Climate change also has had wider impacts on the Windermere ecosystem.…”

Section: Europementioning

confidence: 99%